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Kamikaze Pro: Over The Top

I had the pleasure of attending another great independent show this past weekend. It was my second experience of Kamikaze Pro and again it eclipsed what I’d seen before from these type of shows. The in-ring quality was superb again, but I actually found this event more entertaining generally. It had the perfect balance between great athleticism and good, plain fun. Every seat was taken but the beauty of smaller shows like this is the intimacy of it. You can’t get that in an arena. The guys in the ring can really interact with the crowd. It was great to hear Ryan Smile yelling “Oh shit, again” as he took another big bump. It was a family friendly show on a Sunday afternoon, but a few expletives crept through in there. No harm done though I don’t think. Good times at the wrestling show!

My overall impression of the event and the promotion was very positive again. I’m going to take a look at each of the six matches on the card. Forgive me if I accidentally jumble the order up, or make some other mistakes. This show got pretty wild and crazy. Lots of shit went down and it’s hard to keep track of it all. That’s definitely a good sign.

This was an excellent way to start the show. I was quite surprised to see it on so early, but then I guessed it was because all of these guys would be pivotal to the rumble match at the end. Nonetheless, these guys didn’t disappoint. I don’t think I’d seen Damian before, but I knew all about Pete and Robbie. I was expecting to see some exciting work and that’s exactly what we all got. The crowd were into it from the get go and that’s the perfect way to begin a show. The Champ retained his title but not without being taken to the limit. This wouldn’t be the end of the night for these guys, not by a long shot.

T-Bone v Charlie Garrett

Now this may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Charlie Garrett stepped in for Chris Andrews, who himself went on to work in another match on the card – more on that later. Whether or not I botched the names, these were two big guys and they had a very good match. I’d seen T-Bone last time and was very impressed. Charlie was new to me, but he did really well. Interacting with the crowd one minute, and beating the crap out of each other the next – can’t complain.

The Hunter Brothers v The Magnums
(Tag Team Tournamnent Final for the Tag Team Championships)

Again, I may have the order wrong. I’m not completely sure. What I am certain of is that this match was great. The show really started to heat up here, and the crowd were wild for this one. It was a combination of high octane, classic tag team wrestling and hysterical comedy. I loved seeing both of these teams for the first time, but I have to say The Magnums blew me away! They were just so entertaining in the way they played to the crowd. This match was fun for everyone in the room. The people really took to The Hunter’s and continuously showed it with chants about the team’s native Tipton. The Brothers picked up the win and became the first ever Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Champions. The two teams shook hands at the end of the match – a touch of class that always goes over well when it’s done right – and that was the first half done.

Marshall X v Justin Sysum

After the break, the show became a complete roller-coaster. Marshall X was fighting for his career. A victory would get him re-hired, a defeat would see him exiled forever. He took his time coming out, and then played a great game of cat and mouse with his opponent around the ring. This broke out into a street fight which got his head smashed off of the bar, among other places. When the action got back to the ring, Marshall managed to turn it around and slither his way out of the situation. He did it with the help of Van Damage, who now seems to be the muscle of his operation. I guess that means the man is back and here to stay. The crazy excitement of this match wasn’t the end of the party.

Ryan Smile(c) v Chris Andrews
(for the Kamikaze Pro Championship)

Before the match, General Manager Harvey Dale came out to tell Ryan Smile that he would no longer be facing his scheduled opponent MVK Valkabious. I believe it was Chris Andrews who stood in there, but I may have got the names wrong. He was a big guy either way, and it showed. For a lot of the match, the Champ was reeling. He tried to run away from the fight several times and got pummeled whenever he got too close. Nonetheless, the man who doesn’t lack for confidence retained his title and continued his long title reign. He needed to use a wrench behind the referees back a couple of times, but it’s all about getting that big W.

20 Man Over The Top Rope Battle Royal
Winner to face Petey Williams at Sky’s The Limit

This was the highlight of the show, and believe me I’ve seen plenty of battle royals. They can sometimes be tiresome, but that wasn’t the case here. It was like a melting pot containing all the matches and stories that had come before it. People were screwed, guys ran in and got involved, and shit got crazy! There was too much mayhem going on to get deep into, but the most important moment came at the end.

Robbie X made his way into the match towards the end, with only Damian Dunne in the ring at the time. He cashed in his briefcase for a title match and won the Relentless strap during the rumble match. I thought that was innovative. Nobody saw that coming! Unfortunately for him, and Pete Dunne – the three of them ended the show, just as they had started – Ryan Smile helped Damian win the battle royal and the chance to face former TNA star Petey Williams at the next event.

You win some, you lose some. Robbie X openly proclaimed to the crowd the fact that he didn’t care about being eliminated, because he had just won the title. It was insane stuff! Damian Dunne seemed equally happy to win the battle royal and know that he would be facing the Canadian Destroyer at the end of April. I can’t wait to see that!

The whole show kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, particularly the second half. You should get the DVD when it comes out because I really can’t do it justice. So much stuff went down. It was non-stop action! For a local independent show on a Sunday afternoon, this was a very impressive event. All of the kids in the room seemed to have a good time. All of the adults were cracking up and loving it too – everybody was happy.

I even managed to pick up a couple of treats from the merch stand for my collection.

Thanks for reading, and check out the Kamikaze Pro shows out on Facebook!